#pool parties

He ignores the way Nancy's blue eyes follow him with a small knowing smile as she takes the beer Eddie offers.

It's a Saturday and one of the few days that Steve, Robin, Nancy, and Eddie are completely free of obligations --school is out for the summer, the kids are all at the arcade, and none of them have been scheduled for work.

They settle beside the Harrington pool; no one has ventured into the water just yet but given the height of the sun and the rising temperature, swimming hasn't been completely written off for the rest of the afternoon. 

Nancy rubs a layer of sun block on her arms and readjusts the umbrella Steve set up for her and Robin --who had previously demanded it not five seconds before abandoning the shaded seat to squeeze herself in beside Steve on the sunbleached lounge chair closest to the pool's edge.

"Okay Birdy, now in a sec you’re gonna crack the top of the can and you’ll want to tip it slightly so gravity helps you --then just start suckin’,” Steve continues, trying his best to ignore their audience and the strange flash of deja vu that hits him. 

He looks up briefly at Nancy and wonders if she feels it too. 

It's been a slow process, getting used to sitting  beside his pool again without the constant reminder of everything that happened that night hanging over his head. 

He still hasn’t reinstalled the diving board, not yet.

Steve’s gaze wanders, catching Eddie staring, the barest hint of pink begins to bloom along his cheekbones as he gestures with his beer can, "you better watch your apprentice Stevie--” 

He says it just in time for Robin to crack the top of the can and a fountain of beer to explode out of it, directly into Steve’s face. 

The can continues to spray out of the top as Robin thrusts it away from herself, opening her mouth to say something only to let the one successful mouthful of beer run down her chin and onto her knees.

No one says a word for five whole seconds as Steve wipes the beer out of his eyes.

Nancy and Eddie are frozen on the lounger across from them. Nancy looks as though she’s not sure if she’s allowed to laugh and her hands are braced on the seat on either side of her to launch herself off the chair at a moment's notice.

Eddie lifts a ringed hand to cover his open mouth, slapping his palm to his face just in time to catch a bark of laughter but not fast enough to cover it completely. 

No one can hear it though over Steve trying to catch his breath between gasping hysterical cackles. 

“Robin!” he manages to wheeze as he wipes his face with his hands again to remove the last of the beer.

She’s not listening at this point having doubled over, her shoulders heaving in silent laughter as she screams, “I breathed out!”

“Why would you do that?!” Steve splutters as another laugh splits his face into a wide grin, he slides off the lounger and onto the concrete as Robin flops backwards on the seat, holding her stomach as tears stream down her cheeks. 

Steve leans over with his hand braced on the lounger and takes a deep breath to slow down the laughter, “Jesus Christ”.

“You’re both absolutely covered in beer,” Nancy says at the same time Eddie crows, “that was fucking awesome Bobs!”

"I can't take you anywhere," Steve breathes out finally as Robin sits up and meets his gaze, looking past him for just a moment before letting her eyes snap back to his face with a wide mischievous grin pulling at her lips.

Steve barely has a moment to really register the look before Robin's bare foot is lifting up to press into his chest with enough force that he's tipping backwards.

Steve manages to squawk, "Robin--" in a strangled voice before he hits the water with a huge splash. Steve kicks out his legs to try and bring himself upright and breaches the surface with a loud gasp.

Steve sputters and whips his hair out of his eyes, taking deep breaths, "what the fuck Robin," he spits out a horrible mouthful of pool water and wipes his face again to see three sets of eyes staring at him.

Eddie stands in between Nancy and Robin, who cackles gleefully at Steve.

"Come on," she giggles, "you were covered in beer, easy solution," she gestures at the pool and shoots him a wink at the offended huff Steve lets out.

"So what's your excuse?" Eddie asks slyly as he lifts his hand to the small of Robin's back and gives her a gentle shove, she opens her mouth in a gasp as she stumbles forward, losing her balance, and falls into the water beside Steve.

Eddie turns to Nancy who crosses her arms at him with a fierce glare.

Steve doesn't understand how he ever thought Nancy Wheeler was some delicate flower with that fire burning behind those blue eyes.

She lifts a single eyebrow which is enough for Eddie to step backwards with a muttered, 'oh shit,' before he's turning towards the pool himself. Steve can't help but laugh as Eddie launches himself into the water in a fairly decent approximation of a cannonball, making the water tip up onto the concrete patio. 

Robin swims up beside Steve as Eddie surfaces, whipping his hair around like a dog as Nancy scolds him with a laugh in her voice.

"Did you ever think we'd get here," Robin asks him quietly, her eyes on Nancy as she takes off her sandals and walks around to the ladder on the far side of the pool.

Steve hums, quiet for a beat, as he thinks of the last time he went swimming in this pool with Nancy Wheeler.

The warm summer air and sunlight rail against the cool wind and the blanket of stars in his memory, Tommy and Carol’s jeering is slowly replaced, piece by piece, with Robin’s full belly laughter and the utter joy on Eddie’s face as the beer can exploded.

Barb's face will always be there, lingering in the shadows of his yard, but as Nancy looks at Steve with a new bright smile before tipping her face towards Robin, Steve can't help but wonder if this is how they're supposed to feel at twenty.

"I hoped," he says quietly with a shrug as Robin nods and gently knocks her shoulder into his own.

Robin reaches out and squeezes his hand once under the water before she wades towards Nancy, bouncing up and down on the tips of her toes as she goes.

A hand touches Steve’s lower back and slides around to the scarred edge, it tickles lightly as  Eddie uses the contact to swing himself like a pendulum until he’s gliding through the water in front of Steve. 

The sun warmed water rises in the small wake Eddie creates and Steve can’t help but admire the way the light paints his skin.

“If this is what Harrington parties were like back in the day, I think it's safe to say I am pretty put out having skipped ‘em,” Eddie gives him a lopsided grin as he edges closer.

Steve snorts even as Eddie inches even closer, as his other hand comes up to trace the scars on his other side. 

“Nah,” Steve says with a soft smile, from this close he can see the faint freckles across Eddie’s nose, “you didn’t miss much”.

Eddie laughs as he leans in, “well, we got time to make up for it, hey sweetheart?”

Steve closes his eyes as Eddie runs the tip of his nose down his cheek.